Rewinding process and apparatus



Dec. 26, 1967 F. K. COLEMAN 0, 1

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RECEIVING wmome STATION STATION (FIG 2 (FIG laal4) INVENTOR. FRED K.COLEMAN Dec. 26; 1967 F. K. COLEMAN REWINDING PROCESS AND APPARATUSFiled Jan. 6, 1965 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR FRED K. COLEMAN ATTORNEYSDec. 26, 1967 F. K. COLEMAN 3,360,016

REWINDING PROCESS AND APPARATUS I Filed Jan. 6, 1965 5 Sheets-Sheet :5

T 71 7s es INVENTOR.

FRED K. COLEMAN ATTORNEYS Dec. 26, 1967 COLEMAN A I 3,360,016

REWINDING PROCESS AND APPARATUS Filed Jan. 6, 1965 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 87:VI/IZ E H l2 V llLl -W 9s ns 94 n 99 -78 III-"NH:

n ,-J| H4 H g H II -97 II A H {I |I6--J: V :I I II? I us {I INVENTOR.

FRED K. COLEMAN BY ATTORNEYS Dec. 26, 1967 F. K. COLEMAN REWINDINGPROCESS AND APPARATUS Filed Jan. 6, 1965 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR.

- FRED K. COLEMAN BY My M, 71/

ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,360,016 REWINDING PROCESS AND APPARATUSFred K. Coleman, Los Alamitos, Calif., assignor to Etiwanda SteelProducers, Inc., Etiwanda, Califi, a corporation of California FiledJan. 6, 1965, Ser. No. 423,721 9 Claims. (Cl. 1401) ABSTRACT OF THEDISCLOSURE A continuous method for making wire coils wherein a number ofindividual coils are placed adjacent one another, an end of each coil issecured to the compatible end of the adjacent coil to make theindividual coil continuous, the coils are uncoiled, the wire isreciprocally bent, precoiled, reciprocally guided for winding about areel, and then is wound about the reel, the reel being rotated withconstant torque.

This invention relates to a method and apparatus for rewinding looselycoiled wire rods (such as those used in reinforcing concrete) intolonger continuous compactly wound coils. The invention converts a deadcast mill coil into a longer tightly wound coil having improvedshipping, storage, and pay-out characteristics.

In the art of manufacturing reinforcing rods or wire for concretestructures, the rods are customarily made in a rolling mill by passingsteel rods at elevated temperatures through rollers which produce awelted rod having, for typical uses of the embodiment of the inventiondescribed herein, a diameter of A inch to /2 inch or more. Upon exitfrom the rolling mill, the hot wire is dead cast (loosely coiled) intocoils roughly 3 feet in diameter and weighing about 200 pounds.

The dead cast mill coils have very poor pay-out characteristics andcannot be paid out circumferentially. Stated another way, if an attemptis made to unwind the mill coil circumferentially by rotating it aboutits axis, the coil snarls and smooth unwinding is impossible. -It maynot be unwound on an A-frame, which is a material shortcoming becausemost manufacturing processes require such a method of unwinding. Thus,the mill coil must be paid out in a direction that generally correspondsto its axis by unwinding the coil convolution by convolution.

The dead cast mill coils are also undesirable in storage and shippingbecause the coil density is low, requiring excessive space. The millcoils also tangle with one another easily. They are coated with a millscale that must be removed prior to use. The length of individual millcoils is too short for efficient feeding into continuous processesbecause the spent coil must be too frequently replaced.

Accordingly, the invention has for its objects:

To provide a level and tightly wound coil that may be uncoiled byrotation about its axis smoothly without snarlmg. i

To provide a compactly wound coil having a generally rectangular radialcross section.

To provide a continuous method for connecting loosely wound mill coils,uncoiling the mill coils, cold working the wire, and rewinding it into atightly and level wound finished coil.

To provide a method for rewinding mill coils which in corporates a coldworking of the wire to increase its strength and remove mill scaletherefrom.

To provide a novel method and apparatus for continuously forming aplurality of banks of mill coils, connecting adjacent mill coils andadjacent banks, and continuously uncoiling connected coils from a bank.

To provide a continuous method for rewinding uncoiled wire wherein thetake-up reel is drawn with constant torque and the wire is fed into thetake-up reel at a constant speed to insure a uniformly tightly woundfinished coil.

To provide a method for efiiciently removing a finished coil from thetake-up position, removing the finished coil from the take-up reel, andplacing an unfilled reel in the take-up position.

Each of the objects is fulfilled in the specific embodiment whichappears in FIGS. 1-6 and 8-14. FIG. 7 is a variation in the design ofone station and FIG. 15 shows the finished coil. With reference to thedrawings:

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the stations in chronological sequence thatare provided in the preferred embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the receiving station.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the trimming station and movementfrom the receiving station thereto.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the welding station.

FIG. 5 is a side view of the flipping apparatus or starwheel which isincluded in the flipping station.

FIG. 6 is a top view of the star-wheel shown in FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a side view of a variation in the design of the star-wheel andincludes vertically pivotal bank arms for vertical pay-out of theconnected mill coils as shown.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing pay-out of the coil from theflipping station or star-wheel and impact descaling. Thus, it shows thedescaling station and in addition shows a snarl actuated switch whichstops the process in the event of snarling.

FIG. 9 is a side view of the straightening switch and pre-coilingstation.

FIG. 10 is a top view of the straightening and pre-coiling stations :asshown in FIG. 9.

FIG. 11 is a side view of the guiding station taken in a directioncorresponding to the input of the wire thereto.

FIG. 12 is a sectional side view taken on the line 12- 12 of FIG. 11.

FIG. 13 is a side view of the winding station.

FIG. 14 is a top view of the winding station as shown in FIG. 13.

FIG. 15 is a radial sectional view of a finished coil and shows thecompact, level wound, and generally rectangular radial cross section ofthe finished coil.

The process of the present invention includes placing a plurality ofindividual mill coils adjacent to one another with their ends hangingsymmetrically beneath the coil to form a first bank of coils, securingone end of one coil to the compatible end of the adjacent coil,providing a second bank of individual coils and securing one end of onecoil in the second bank to the compatible end of the adjacent coil, andsecuring the end of the first placed individual coil of the first bankto the compatible end of the last placed coil in the second bank,providing a third bank in a manner similar to the provision of the firstand second banks, continuously uncoiling the wire from the first bank,applying a tensile force to the wire, reciprocally bending the wire,winding the wire about a precoiler, reciprocally guiding the wire into atake-up reel and continuously winding the wire about the take-up reel toform a finished coil.

The process may be conveniently carried out with the aid of theapparatus appearing in FIGS. 1-6 and 8-14. The apparatus defines thevarious stations designated in FIG. 1.

The receiving station (FIG. 2) consists of a frame 20 and a platform 21,mounted for convenient movement on wheels 22 and rails 23. Individualloosely wound mill coils 24 are placed on frame 20 in any convenientmanner such as by a fork lift truck. Frame 20 is then moved intoposition in close proximity of the trimming station.

The mill coils are then moved from the receiving station by means ofmonorail hoist 25 as shown by arrow A to the trimming station (FIG. 3).The irregular ends of the mill coils 24 are sheared by hydraulic shear26 so that they hang symmetrically below mill coil 24 which is apparentwith reference to mill coil ends 24a and 24b (FIG. 3). After shearing ortrimming the mill coil 24 is moved by monorail hoist 25 as shown byarrow B and placed adjacent other mill coils to form a first bank ofcoils referred to generally by reference number 27. The mill coils 24are placed in bank 27 so that adjacent ends of adjacent coils arecompatible. Compatibility requires that adjacent ends of adjacent coilsintersect (as opposed to hanging parallel) so that they may be buttwelded to form a continuous wire made up of a number of mill coils. Thisis best seen with reference to bank 27 of FIG. 3. There mill coil ends24b(1) and 24a(2) are compatible and adjacent mill coils 24(1) and 24(2)must be oriented in bank 27 to achieve this compatibility.

From the trimming station bank 27 is moved to the welding station (FIG.4). There compatible ends 24a of one mill coil and 24b of the adjacentcoil are butt welded together. Flash butt welder 28 is provided for thatpurpose. End 24b(n) is butt welded to the compatible end 24a(1) of thelast placed mill coil on bank 27b so that uncoiling of bank 27a leadscontinuously to the uncoiling of bank 27b. The uncoiling appears best inFIG. 8. If desired the welds may be color-marked at this point formanual or photoelectric rejection in subsequent manufacturing processesinwhich use of weld-containing sections is undesirable.

The flipping station comprises a star-wheel referred to generally as 29andbest viewed in FIGS. 5 and 6. The star-wheel includes a' base 30, asubstantially vertical member 31, and bank arms 32 radially secured tosleeve 33. Member 31 is preferably tilted from the vertical so that thebank from which uncoiling is accomplished is inclined upwardly in thedirection of the uncoiling. Sleeve 33 is mounted for rotational movementabout substantially vertical member 31 and includes pin 34 mounted forrotational movement in sleeve 33 (but not slidable therein) and inbearing socket 35 of member 31. Sleeve sprocket 36 is fixed to the lowerextremity of sleeve 33. Motor 37 is mounted to member 31 by meansofmounting brackets 38. Chain 39 provides a linkage from the motorsprocket 40 to sleeve sprocket 36 so that rotation of motor sprocket 49provides a rotational movement of sleeve sprocket 36, sleeve 33 and bankarms 32. Triangular gnssets 41, 4'2, and 43 are rigidly secured tosleeve33 and bank arms 32 to provide a reinforced rigid joint. Intermediategussets 42 are three in number and provide a web portion between thebank arms 32 as best seen in FIG. 6. Upper gusset 41 is secured to theupper surface of bank arms 32 and positioned so that its corners extendin the same direction as arms 32 which also can be best seen in FIG; 6.Lower gusset 43 is larger than upper gusset 41 and is positioned out ofphase with respect to upper gusset 41. Thus, lower gusset 43 is orientedso that its edges 43a, b, and c are perpendicular to the axis of bankarms 32a, b, and respectively. The edges 43a, b, and c provide a surfacewhich aligns banks 27 as the inner mill roll of the bank abuts theedges.

Drop arm 44 is pivotally mounted to the underside of bank arm 32 bymeans of bracket 45 and pin 46. It is suspended on chain 47 which issecured at one end to bank arm 32. The position of drop arm 44 may bechanged by lengthening or shortening chain 47 from the dropped positionshown in FIG. to a retracted position (not shown) wherein drop arm 44 isparallel and adjacent to bank arm 32.

An overarm 48 is pivotally connected to pin 34 by means of bracket 49and pin 50. Since pin 34 is rotatable about its axis independent of therotation of sleeve 33, overarm 48 may be positioned over either bank arm32a (as shown), 32b, or 320 (not shown). Thus, it may be positioned overWhichever bank is being paid out for the purpose of controlling pay-outof the coil convolutions as shown in FIG. 5. There overarm 48 restsagainst the upper surface of bank arm 32 to control the pay-out of coil24. Drop arm 44 is shown in a dropped position to assist in controllingthe pay-out as may be readily seen. When mill coils are placed upon thebank arms (as distinguished from being uncoiled from the arms), overarm48 is pivoted about the axis of pin 34 and associated with another bankarm (from which uncoiling is progressing) and drop arm .-4 is retractedto a position adjacent bank arm 32.

As mill coils 24 are paid out from bank 27 it is desirable, though notessential, to provide a preliminary descaling station as shown in FIG.8. The descaling station consists merely of a hard rough surface 51(roughly surfaced concrete, for example), which is abrasive. As the coilconvolutions are pulled in the direction of arrow C and drop onto thesurface 51, the impact and abrasion against surface 51 removes asignificant portion of the mill scale.

Snarl switch assembly 52 comprises hoop 53 through which the wire isthreaded as shown in FIG. 8. Hoop 53 is pivotally mounted to base 54.Conduit 55 is also mounted to base 54 and conducts leads 56 from aswitch (not shown) mounted on base 54 toward the precoiling station(where they are connected to the precoiler drive motor circuit so thatopening the switch stops the motor). Hoop 53 is pivoted about itsvertical axis whenever a snarl prevents passage of the wire Wtherethrough. The pivoting opens the switch and stops the precoilermotor. Thus, any snarl automatically stops the rewinding process.

The wire W next passes through the straightening and precoiling stationswhich appear in FIGS. 9 and 10. The straightening station includes bellmouth entry cone assembly 57, straightener 58 and base 59. Entry cone 57includes entry rollers 60 mounted for rotational movement on four axesrespectively which lie in a common plane perpendicular to the directionof travel of the wire W and define a square. Rollers 60a and 60b aremounted to brackets 61a and 6112 respectively. Rollers 60c and 60d aremounted to bracket 61c and 61d respectively. Brackets 61a-d are mountedto brackets 62a and 6212 which is in turn mounted to base 59. Bracket62b contains an input aperture 64 which has a diameter approximatelyequal to the diameter of the entry rollers 60 and exposes approximatelyone-half the diameter of each. Thus, an entry cone is provided for thewire W. Entry rollers 60 are spaced such that they define a squarepassage having dimensions slightly less than the diameter of wire W. Anoutput aperture sleeve 63 is provided in bracket 62a through which wireW exits. A drag mechanism (not shown) may be provided to inhibitrotation of rollers '60 to produce tension in wire W between entry coneassembly 57 and straightener 58.

Straightener 58 includes frame 65, an upper bank of rollers 66a, 12, andc and a lower bank of rollers 67a-d Therollers 66 and 67 contain aconcave peripheral surface which is best seen in FIG. 10 at 68. Rollers67 are rotatably mounted to frame on shafts 69. Upper bank 66 isrotatably mounted to mounting plates 70. Rollers 66 are verticallyadjustable by means of rotation of adjusting screws 7 1. Mounting plates70 are connected to a common frame member (not shown) which may beraised or lowered by means of lever 72 and. linkage 73 to respectivelydisengage and engage wire W. The rollers 65 and 66 are horizontallyaligned as best seen in FIG. 10. They are vertically staggered as bestseen in FIG. 9 to provide a zig-zag passage for'wire W. Thus, as wire Wis drawn through rollers 66 and 67, it is reciprocally bent. It will benoted that the degree of bending in successive roller passes may beadjusted by means of adjusting screws 71. As shown at FIG. 9 bending ismore extreme 70 upon entry (see rollers 67d and 660) and generallydecreases to very little bend in the output rollers 66a and 67a.

The straightener 58 cold works the steel, removes the remaining millscale and eliminates the bending-moment resiliency induced by the firstcoiling as'the wire is dead cast from the rolling mill. The cold workingalso increases the yield point.

Wire W is drawn through straightener 58 by means of precoiler 76 whichis mounted to base 59 and forms the precoiling station referred togenerally at 74. Precoiler station 74 includes a precoiling motor (notshown) which drives shaft 75 and precoiler 76. Like rollers 66 and 67,precoiler 76 is concave at its circumference which can be best seen at77 in FIG. 10. It is of sufiicient width or thickness 77 to accommodatetwo diameters of wire. The precoiling motor is driven at an adjustablespeed which remains constant regardless of load. Wire W is wound aroundprecoiler 76 for one convolution and paid out in the direction of arrowD. Friction between wire W and precoiler 76 prevents slippage andprecoiler 76 pulls wire W through straightener 58 at a constant speed.Thus, upon its entry to precoiler 76, wire W is under tension. Passageabout precoiler 76 induces a bending moment resiliency, and the diameterof precoiler 76 is chosen so that this bending moment resiliencygenerally tends to hold the wire in a curvature approximately equal tothe inner diameter of the finished coil. Precoiler 76 is, of course,aligned with straightener 58 and entry cone assembly 57.

From the precoiler 76 wire W is fed through the guiding station (FIGS.11 and 12). It passes first between entry rollers 78 and then betweengripping rollers 79. Both rollers 78 and 79 are mounted for rotationabout the respective entry roller shafts 80 and gripping roller shafts81. Roller shafts 80 and 81 are mounted in a generally vertical planebut are tilted toward the direction of entry of wire W as best seen inFIG. 12. Gripping roller shafts 81 are mounted at each end to brackets82 which are in turn rigidly secured to entry roller shafts 80. Grippingroller shafts 81 therefore pivot about the axis of entry roller shaft 80on brackets 82 as entry roller shafts 80 are pivoted. Entry rollershafts 80 extend through and are journaled in upper plate 83 and lowerplate 84 at 85 and 86 respectively. Upper and lower plate 83 and 84 aremounted for reciprocal movement on bars 87 and 88 respectively. This isaccomplished through the use of side plates 89 which are rigidly mountedto upper and lower plates 83 and 84 and contain integral mountingbrackets 90 and 91 fixed to sleeves 92 and 93 respectively which areslidable along bars 87 and 88 respectively. Thus, the guide and grippingroller assembly is mounted for reciprocal movement on bars 87 and 88 inthe direction of arrows E as shown in FIG. 11.

Bars 87 and 88 are mounted in mounting brackets 94 and 95. Mountingbracket 94 is reinforced against tilting by web 96. The mountingbrackets 94 and 95 are rigidly secured to frame 97. Canvas bellows 98are provided on a coil spring skeleton 99 to serve as a dust cover inthe area of bars 87 and 88 not covered by sleeves 92 and 93.

Studs 100 are fixed to upper plate 83. Bolts 101 extend through studs100 and are spring loaded against nut 102. The ends of bolts 101opposite nut 102 are pivotally connected to arms 103. Arms 103 arerigidly connected to entry roller shafts 80. Thus, as nuts 102 areloosened or tightened, arms 103, entry roller shaft 80, brackets 82,gripping roller shaft 81 and gripping roller 79 is pivoted about theaxis of entry roller shaft 80. The spring mounting of bolts 101 alsoholds gripping rollers 79 resiliently against wire W and, together withstud 100, provides a method for adjusting the spacing between grippingrollers 79 to accommoate various wire diameters.

Guide roller brackets 104 and 105 are mounted on upper plate 83 andlower plate 84 respectively. Guide rollers 106 and 107 are mounted forrotational movement on shafts 108 and 109 respectively which in turn aremounted to brackets 104 and 105. Guide rollers 106 and 107 serve tolimit the vertical traverse of Wire W to somewhat less than the lengthof entry and gripping rollers 78 and 79.

Pawl housing 110 is mounted to the lower side of lower plate 84 andenvelops worm gear shaft 111. Pawl 112 is removably mounted in pawlhousing 110 and engages the track of worm gear shaft 111 which ismounted for rotational movement in mounting bracket 94 and bearing 113.Worm gear shaft sprockets 114 is linked with gear reducer sprocket 115by means of chain 116. Gear reducer 117 is mounted to frame 97 and poweris supplied to sprocket 118 from a power source not shown. Thus, as wormgear shaft 111 is rotated, pawl 112 follows the worm gear track and as aresult, reciprocates pawl housing 110. The gripping and roller assemblythereby reciprocates on bars 87 and 88 as shown by arrow B in FIG. 11.The traverse of pawl 112 and as a result gripping rollers 79, is equalto the width of the take-up reel 119 minus the diameter of the wire. Thespeed of rotation of worm gear shaft 111 is coordinated with the speedof rotation of the take-up reel through gear reducer 117, to insure alevel wound finished coil. In addition gear reducer 117 adjusts thespeed of worm gear 111 to compensate for a change in the wire diameterdue to the winding of various diameter wires from time to time.

After passing through the guiding station, wire W proceeds to thewinding station (FIGS. 13 and 14) where it is wound on take-up reel119a. The winding station includes frame 120 to which is mountedturntable motor 121 and take-up reel motor 122. Turntable shaft 123 isjournaled on frame 120 in bearings 124. A turntable sprocket 125 isrigidly secured to one end of turntable shaft 123 and linked by chain126 to sprocket 127 of turntable motor 121. Turntable arms 128a and 128bextend radially from turntable shaft 123 and are rigidly securedthereto. Thus, as turntable shaft 123 is rotated in bearings 124 bymotor 121 and chain 126, turntable arms 128 sweep in the direction ofarrow F in FIG. 13.

The ends of turntable arms 128 contain sleeves 129. They are rigidlysecured to arms 128 having their axes parallel to the axis of turntableshaft 123. Reel shafts are mounted in sleeves 129 for rotation thereinand extend beyond one end of sleeves 129 terminating at a threadedengagement with wing nuts 131. The opposite end of shaft 130 terminatesat joint 132.

Take-up reel motor sprocket 133 is linked by chain 134 to reel drivesprocket 135. Reel drive shaft 136 extends rigidly from reel drivesprocket and is journaled in bearing 137 and terminates at universaljoint 132, at that point being fixed to reel shaft 130a. Joint 132 iscapable of quick assembly and disassembly to connect drive shaft 136 toreel shaft 130 and to sever the connection respectively by hydraulicallyshifting shaft 136 along its axis. When shifted to abut reel shaft 130as shown in FIG. 14 joint 132 is engaged and the rotation of shaft 136rotates reel shaft 130. The joint is hydraulically disengaged when reel119a is removed from the take-up position and an empty reel takes itsplace.

Lock arm 138 is pivotally connected to lock arm bracket 1380 which ismounted to frame 120. Look arm 138 is two-sided as may be seen byreference to side 138a and 138b in FIG. 14. Each side is arcuatelynotched to a depth equal to the outside radius of sleeve 129. Ittherefore accommodates sleeve 129 and locks turntable arms 128 in theposition shown in FIG. 13 and prevents sweeping movement in thedirection of arrow F. Thus, arms 128 and reel 119a are locked in atake-up position with shaft 130a aligned with reel drive shaft 136. Thepositions are simultaneously interchangeable by disengaging lock arm 138and sweeping turntable arms 128 one hundred eighty degrees. Lock arm 138is engaged and disengaged with sleeve 129 by means of hydraulicallyoperated jack 139 which is fixed at one end to guiding station frame 97and at the other end to lock arm 138.

Take-up reels 119 are mounted for rotation on reel shafts 130. Reels 119consist of spool 140, permanent flange 141 and removable flange 142.Spool 140 is keyed to reel shaft 130. Both flanges 141 and 142 as wellas spool 140 contain slots 144 which are radially positioned and spacedone hundred twenty degrees from one another. Flange 142 is removable byremoving wing nut 131.

The winding station is aligned with the guiding station so that a linepassing through a plane equidistant from reel flanges 141 and 142perpendicularly bisects the tra verse of entry and gripping rollers 78and 79.

The description of the apparatus utilized in the specific embodiment isthen complete except for the variation in the design of the flipper orstar-wheel which appears in FIG. 7. The design shown there difiers fromthe design of FIGS. and 6 because overarm 48 and drop arm 44 areeliminated and a jointed bank arm 232 is added. Bank arm 232 containsjoint 233 which is pivotable about pin 234 in the direction of arrow G.Thus, bank arm 232 has two positions with respect to vertical arm 231.One position is perpendicular to arm 231 for placement of mill coilsthereon and the other position is parallel to arm 231 for pay-out. Bankarm 232 is pivoted about pin 234 by means of hydraulic linkage 235 whichis pivotally connected at one end to arm 232 and at the other end tovertical member 231 as shown in FIG. 7. Thus, by placing bank arm 232 ina vertical position, mill coil convolutions may be paid out verticallyso as to take advantage of gravity to prevent snarling more effectivelythan is possible with the previously described star-wheel.

Having thus described the apparatus of the specific embodiment theoperation is readily apparent. Mill coils are received and passedthrough the trimming, welding, flipping, descaling, straightening,precoiling, and guiding stations where wire W is handled and processedas previously described. The end is then fixed to spool 140 and take-updrive motor applies a constant torque to reel drive sprocket 135 to turnreel 119 and Wind wire W thereon. The take-up reel speed is a functionof the precoiler speed and the outside diameter of the finished coil atany given moment. The guiding station operates at a speed which isdirectly proportional to the speed of take-up reel 119a.

After the reel is filled, the coil is steel-strapped by inserting steelstraps 143 into slots 144 and circumscribing the radial section of thefinished coil 145. Turntable arms 128 are then actuated and the positionof reel 11% is interchanged with reel 11%. Reel 119a is thus swept intoan unloading position and reel 119/5 is swept into a take-up position.Winding is begun on reel. 11% as previously done on reel 119a. Onrepositioned reel 119a, wing nut 131a is removed along with flange 142to expose finished coil 145. Coil 145 is removed from spool 140 and theprocess has produced one unit.

The finished coil which appears in FIG. 15 is tightly and level wound asmay be seen with reference to the radial cross-section. It is compact,which is desirable for storage and transport, and free of mill scale.After the retaining straps are cut it may be smoothly paid out byrotation about its axis (on an A-frame for example). It is therefore,unlike the dead cast mill coil, a suitable raw material for subsequentautomatic or manual manufacturing processes in various industries.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A continuous method for making wire coils from shorter individualcoils which comprises: placing a plurality of said individual coilsadjacent one another, securing an end of one of said individual coils tothe compatible end of the adjacent coil thereby making said individualcoils continuous, uncoiling said continuous individual coils,reciprocally bending said wire, passing said wire under tension about aprecoiler and continuously removing said wire therefrom, reciprocallyguiding said wire for level winding about a reel in a take-up position,rotating said reel with constant torque and winding said wire about saidreel to form said coil.

2. A continuous method for making wire coils from shorter individualcoils which comprises: placing a plurality of said individual coilsadjacent one another to form a first bank of coils having a longitudinalaxis extending radially from a substantial vertical axis, sweeping saidfirst bank arcuately about said substantially vertical axis, securing anend of one of said coils to the compatible end of the adjacent coil,placing a plurality of said individual coils adjacent one another toform a second bank of coils having a longitudinal axis extendingradially from said vertical axis, sweeping said banks arcuately aboutsaid substantially vertical axis, securing one end of the coil in saidfirst bank nearest said vertical axis to the compatible end of the coilin said second bank farthest from said vertical axis, securing an end ofone of said coils in said second bank to the compatible end of theadjacent coil, again placing a plurality of said individual coilsadjacent one another to form a third bank, securing one end of the coilin said second bank nearest said vertical axis to the compatible end ofthe coil in said third bank farthest from said vertical axis, securingan end of one of said coils in said third bank to the compatible end ofthe adjacent coil, uncoiling said first bank, reciprocally bending saidwire, passing said wire under tension about a precoiler and continuouslyremoving said wire therefrom, reciprocally guiding said wire for levelwinding about a reel in a take-up position, rotating said reel withconstant torque thereby winding said wire about said reel to form saidwire coil.

3. The method of claim 2 further characterized by securing said wirecoil about a plurality of radial crosssections equally spaced on thecircumference thereof, severing said wire, removing said reel with saidsecured coil thereon from said take-up position and simultaneouslyreplacing said reel, removing a flange of said reel and removing saidsecured coil therefrom.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein said third bank is inclined upwardly inthe direction of said uncoiling.

5. The method of claim 2 wherein said first bank is arcuately swept in avertical plane prior to uncoiling therefrom, said uncoiling proceedingin a substantially vertical direction.

6. A continuous method for making wire coils from shorter individualcoils which comprises: placing a plurality of said individual coilsadjacent one another with the ends of said coils hanging symmetricallybeneath said coils and crossing the adjacent end of the adjacent coil toform a first bank of coils having a longitudinal axis extending radiallyfrom a substantially vertical axis, sweeping said first bank arcuatelyabout said substantially vertical axis, abutting and securing an end ofone of said coils to the adjacent compatible end of the adjacent coil,placing a plurality of said individual coils adjacent one another withthe ends of said coils hanging symmetrically beneath said coils andcrossing the adjacent end of the adjacent coil to form a second bank ofcoils having a longitudinal axis extending radially from saidsubstantially vertical axis, sweeping said banks arcuately about saidsubstantially vertical axis, abutting and securing one end of the coilin said first bank nearest said substantially vertical axis to thecompatible end of the coil in said second bank farthest from saidvertical axis, abutting and securing one end of said coils in saidsecond bank with the adjacent compatible end of the adjacent coil, againplacing a plurality of said individual coils adjacent one another toform a third bank similar to said first and second banks, sweeping saidbanks arcuately about said substantially vertical axis, abutting andsecuring one end of the coil in said secand bank nearest saidsubstantially vertical axis to the compatible end of the coil in saidthird bank farthest from said substantially vertical axis, abutting andsecuring one end of said coils in said third bank with the adjacentcompatible end of the adjacent coil, uncoiling said first bank in adirection corresponding to the longitudinal axis of said bank, passingsaid wire over and in contact with an abrasive surface, reciprocallybending said wire, passing said Wire under tension at a constant speedabout a precoiler and continuously removing said Wire therefrom,reciprocally guiding said wire for level winding about a reel in atake-up position, rotating said reel with constant torque therebywinding said wire about said reel to form said wire coil, securing saidwire coil about a plurality of radial cross sections equally spaced onthe circumference thereof, severing said wire, removing said reel andcoil from said take-up position and simultaneously replacing said reel,and removing a flange of said reel and removing the secured finishedcoil therefrom.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein said third bank is inclined upwardly inthe direction of said uncoiling.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein said first bank is arcuately swept in avertical plane prior to uncoiling therefrom, said uncoiling proceedingin a substantially vertical direction.

9. Apparatus for making wire coils from shorter individual coils whichcomprises, in combination: a starwheel having a substantially verticalelongate member mounted for rotation about its axis and three elongatearms equally spaced and radially mounted thereto, an entry cone rollerassembly including four rollers mounted with their axes in a verticalplane and defining a square, said rollers forming a square passagehaving a dimension substantially equal to the diameter of said wire, astraightener having an upper bank of rollers and a lower bank, saidrollers being circumferentially concave and horizontally aligned butvertically positioned with said upper bank intermeshed with said lowerbank, a precoiler having a circumferentially concave surface and meansfor driving said precoiler at a constant speed, a guiding mechanismhaving a pair of substantially vertically positioned entry rollers andgripping rollers, said entry rollers being spaced a distancesubstantially equal to the diameter of said wire, and said grippingroller mounted for arcuate movement about said entry rollers and meansfor urging said gripping rollers toward each other to thereby grip saidwire, and means for reciprocally traversing said rollers, a windingstation including a turntable arm having a reel rotatably mounted oneach end, means for sweeping said arm about an axis perpendicular to itslongitudinal axis and means for locking said arm with one of said reelsin a take-up position, said entry cone rollers assembly, straightener,precoiler, guiding mechanism, and winding station being horizontallyaligned.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,511,274 6/1950 Kramer 14012,929,569 3/ 1960 Detrick 242-25 2,971,709 2/ 1961 Ellis 242-253,002,537 10/1961 Kenmore et al. 140--1 3,026,053 3/ 1962 Sisson et al.242--25 CHARLES W. LANHAM, Primary Examiner.

1. A CONTINUOUS METHOD FOR MAKING WIRE COILS FROM SHORTER INDIVIDUALCOILS WHICH COMPRISES: PLACING A PLURALITY OF SAID INDIVIDUAL COILSADJACENT ONE ANOTHER, SECURING AN END OF ONE OF SAID INDIVIDUAL COILS TOTHE COMPATIBLE END OF THE ADJACENT COIL THEREBY MAKING SAID INDIVIDUALCOILS CONTINUOUS, UNCOILING SAID CONTINUOUS INDIVIDUAL COILS,RECIPROCALLY BENDING SAID WIRE, PASSING SAID WIRE UNDER TENSION ABOUT APRECOILER AND CONTINUOUSLY REMOVING SAID WIRE THEREFROM, RECIPROCALLYGUID-